Report: California has worst ‘quality of life’ in the US

California has the worst 'quality of life' per new report from U.S. News & World Report. Keep clicking to see the states that made it to top 10.
(Seaside Beach, Mendocino County, California.) (Photo courtesy of Deryl Deavenort)
March 2, 2018

DANNY MUELLER,

FOR THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Forget about the natural beauty, wine, beaches and delicious food. California has the worst quality of life in the United States and ranks near the bottom for opportunity, according to a report published this week.

The U.S. News & World Report ranking measures "thousands of data points" for each category (health care, education, economy, opportunity, infrastructure, crime and corrections, fiscal stability and quality of life) to determine a state's scores.

The Golden State was dead last in urban air quality and second-to-last in voter participation, both components of the "quality of life" score. California's opportunity score was only a few ticks higher at No. 46. That's a surprising spot for the world's fifth-largest economy.

How did California look in the overall ranking? No. 32, just behind Georgia. Iowa and Minnesota were ranked first and second, respectively.

U.S. News says its report adds weight to a few areas based on a survey of "what matters most to people." That seems to mean infrastructure, education and opportunity.